Safe Haven
by Aeris Deathscythe
Summary: Relena has gone over the edge, will Duo be able to save her? Warning: Later on there will be death, but fear not, I love happy endings.
1. The God of Death

SAFE HAVEN

Relena Peacecraft lay on her bed, a shadow of what she once was. She was now twenty-two years old, single, and dying of depression. Technically, it was lack of nutrients, for she'd given up eating in the last couple of days. She just didn't feel hungry anymore. She was wasting away. The doctor had prescribed medication for her, but she hadn't taken it. She wanted to die. Life just wasn't worth living anymore. She wanted to fade away in her bed, peaceful, calm.

There wasn't even any reason for it. One day, waking up at seven am, she just decided not to get up. The prospect of facing the paperwork, the reporters, the meetings....She didn't want to do it anymore. She didn't want to do anything. There was absolutely nothing worth looking forward to. Well, maybe there was a reason for it. That was the reason. There was too much pressure. Way too much. And she had finally cracked. 

Relena turned her head, seeing her bathroom before her, the door open. Drip. Drip. Drip. The sink was leaking. She watched the water fall. Water. So cool, so wonderful. Water represented life. Relena wanted no part of it. But water could also present death, given the right situation. She thought of how it would feel to drown in it. The lack of oxygen would be painful, but then she would black out, and be no more. The prospect sounded peaceful. 

She sat up rather suddenly, then stood up, feeling her knees start to give. Stumbling to her balcony she stared out to where the ships were docked, by the bridge, getting soaked by the rain she didn't know had been falling. How ironic. She stared at the bridge for a while, imagining herself climbing up on the wall and letting herself fall to the waters below. She would black out on impact, and feel no pain. She would do it. Looking down, she was two stories up. She would jump. If she died falling, well that was the purpose of leaving anyway.

Without thinking twice about it she jumped down to the ground. She didn't even cry out when he knee hit a sharp rock, cutting through her flesh like butter. She was only dimly aware of the blood as she limped away, sneaking through the secret passage only she knew was there, getting past the guards. Her brother would be outraged at the incompetence, but then again, she was sneaking out, not in.

She didn't know how long she had been walking for until she reached the bridge, her wet clothes clinging to her, her pants dark with blood. There were no cars to be seen, no people. She was alone. But then, it was two in the morning. She walked to the highest point of the bridge. The wall on either side was only four feet tall, one foot thick. She climbed it easily and stood staring at the water far below.

" Don't do it." A voice suddenly said, and Relena paused, deciding whether or not she felt like bothering with this person. His voice was so familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. 

" Why not?" She finally asked, taking the bait.

" You can't just throw away your life."

" What life? You call what I have a life?" Relena asked, her voice on the edge of hysterics.

" You are Relena Peacecraft. A young, generous, caring woman. What you are doing is selfish."

" Selfish?! I have never once given any thought to myself and now you're calling me selfish?! I have every right to be! Who do you think you are?!" Relena cried, carefully moving her feet so that she could face her companion, her back having been to him the whole time. But even then she couldn't see who it was. The rain was coming down pretty hard, and the man was on the other side of the street, wearing a hat and a dark raincoat. A flash of lightening lit of the sky, but it didn't last long enough for her to see.

" You die now, you take away a leader, a sister, a friend, and a peaceful future. You give back sorrow, death, and regret. Is that what you want?"

" All I want is peace." Relena replied quietly. His words had struck her. Up until now everyone had been so nice, understanding, at her beck and call, trying to help her, they said. And this man, whoever he was, was insulting her. She should jump right now. 

" And you can have peace. And much more. If you just step down from that wall. Please...." Relena frowned. His voice, low and musical in its tone, sounded almost heartbroken, cracking on the last word.

" Who _are _you?" Relena asked softly, peering at the man in the darkness. Slowly he walked forward, coming into the gleam of moonlight that surrounded her. When he was next to the wall he looked up at her and gave her a hopeful grin. Relena's eyes widened in shock and her mouth fell open in surprise.

" _Duo_?!" Relena exclaimed, jumping back a little in surprise. Her footing gave way on the slippery cement and she wobbled backwards, losing her balance. Duo snatched her hand, attempting to pull her back, and Relena shrieked as she was pulled forward, wrangling her hand out of his grip, surprised at the shock of electricity that flowed between them. She stayed on the wall, her death put off for a time. Duo stepped back, not wanting to upset her.

Relena gasped, nearly hyperventilating. She had almost fallen in. But Duo had saved her. Hadn't she wanted to die? She shook her head, collecting her thoughts. Yes she did. So why should she let Duo stop her? " Why did you save me?"

Duo seemed surprised. " I'm not gonna let you die. You fall, I'll catch you. You jump, I jump too."

" Why? Why would you do that?" Relena flinched as a loud blast of thunder rocked the air, unthinkingly stepping back a bit. Duo eyed the edge warily, and bent down, slipping off his shoes. Relena frowned.

" Maybe you should step down from that wall and talk to me. Then, afterwards, if you still want to kill yourself, I won't stop you." Duo replied easily, looking up at her. Relena stared back down, meeting his violet eyes. A strange shiver ran down her spine. She looked away, about to reply, when suddenly a bolt of lightening hit the pole beside her and she jumped back, forgetting where she was. Abruptly she was falling through the air, the rain pounding on her face, her arms and legs flailing. She tried to scream, but all that came out was a small cry. 

She closed her eyes just before she hit the water. Wasn't this what she wanted? Wasn't it? Duo's frightened face flashed before her eyes. He had looked absolutely horrified when she had fallen, having not reached her in time to catch her once more. He had looked down at her for a brief second before disappearing from sight. Relena hit the water, blacking out as her head hit the surface, her last thought wondering whether or not he would save her. Whether or not she wanted him to.

Duo wasted no time as he threw off his jacket, scrambling up onto the wall and diving from the height while Relena was just nearing the water. He was shocked at the freezing temperature, but paid it no heed as he looked for Relena in the water, the salt stinging his eyes. There was no sign of her underneath, the water was to dense. He searched for a moment then came up for air, searching the water's surface desperately for some sign of her in the rocky waves. He caught a glimpse of red in the water before the waves splashed it away and dived down in that direction, a saw a dark shape ahead. He swam desperately for her, and saw that she was sinking slowly, unconscious. He made for her, grabbing her under her arms and pulling her towards the surface, ignoring the burning sensation in his lungs from lack of air, his vision darkening. Finally he broke free, gasping for air, their heads bobbing at the surface. He saw with relief that they weren't too far from the beach and used all of his energy to pull Relena and himself to the shore.

He didn't take time to breath when they reached the sandy, seaweed covered shore, instead he made sure they were far enough from the water and checked Relena's breathing. She wasn't. He checked her pulse. It was still there, but very weak. In less than a second he had tipped her head back and held her nose, inhaling deeply, than came down on her mouth, blowing air into her lungs, giving her mouth to mouth. Duo checked again. She wasn't breathing, and this time there was no pulse. He began CPR. 

He pumped her chest, careful not to be too hard. Tears were streaming down his face now, but he didn't give up, giving her two more resuscitating breaths, checking her pulse and breath again. Still no sign.

He continued to pump. " I swear if you die Relena, you won't be the only one!" He cried, then gave her breath again. She had a pulse. He had breathed into her mouth one more time when suddenly she coughed, and water came sputtering out of her mouth and she gasped for air. 


	2. Memories

Duo laughed hysterically and brushed her hair out of her face with his hands, smoothing it. Relena moaned, and Duo pulled her up and into his arms joyfully. " Come on Relena! Wake up! Open your eyes!" 

" Duo?" Relena mumbled, struggling a bit, spitting up a little more water with another cough. On impulse Duo kissed her forehead, his heart dancing with relief. Her eyes fluttered open and she stared in surprise at his ridiculous grin. Her eyes filled with tears and his smile abruptly changed to a look of concern.

" Relena?" He questioned, a sudden dread falling upon him. She whimpered and buried her head in his chest, weeping. Duo was at a loss of what to do. " Relena......"

" Don't take me home!" She sobbed, unable to stop the tears. Duo quickly calmed her, smoothing her hair.

" Alright, I won't. Come on, we'll go back to my house." He said, slowly standing, his hand on her elbows, lifting. Relena fell weakly against him and he slid one arm behind her legs and lifted her up. She huddled against him as he carried her up off the beach and onto the road, back over the bridge. His shoes and jacket were forgotten as he passed them on the bridge. They weren't important. 

Duo trudged along in his wet socks and clothes, the rain still falling, but letting up. He would bring Relena to his house and take care of her there, and then, when she was feeling better, he would call her brother. 

He had heard the rumor that Relena was feeling out of sorts, as reporters said, but he had no idea that it was this bad, bad enough to drive her to suicide. Right now, he was incredibly relieved that he had decided to go through with his nightly walk, even though it was pouring. If he hadn't.....He shuddered. He didn't want to think about that. 

He was so tired. That swim had worn him out. Not only had he pulled Relena to shore in freezing cold water, but he had fought against a raging ocean bay to do so. A thought came to his mind and he smirked slightly. It was something a friend used to say. _What do you want, a medal, or a chest to pin it on?_ Neither. The only thing he wanted was for her to be safe and happy.

Duo Maxwell stared warily up ahead. It wasn't too far now. He'd been living in the Sanque kingdom for over a year now, carrying on with his junk yard business, but by himself now. Hilde had left after a few months. She could sense he wasn't happy, although he always seemed to be, and she was tired of him lying to her about it. He couldn't blame her for leaving. He just hadn't been able to reciprocate the feelings that she felt for him, as much as he had tried. To him, she was just a friend. Finally, she had left, going off to fulfill a dream of being a teacher. She'd called him a few times, sent a few letters-she liked to do that sort of thing-but after a while it sort of dredged off. He'd heard from her a few months ago. She'd told him very excitedly that she was engaged to some businessman named Troy Bichette. He was invited to the wedding, which would take place in June. 

Duo managed as best as he could to open his front door with Relena in his arms, glad he'd forgotten to lock it, because if he had, the keys would be at the bottom of the bay by now. He sat her down quivering, on the recliner and went to turn on a light. Relena didn't say a word as he left her to find some bandages. When he returned he gently moved her into a sitting position and wiped off her bloody leg with a damp towel. She winced as it brushed the cut, which could be traced two inches down from the bottom of her knee, deep enough so that it bled like crazy, but not so that it would need stitches, which was a relief.

Once her leg was wiped clean, Duo took a wet cloth and cleaned out her wound, noticing Relena's knuckles whiten as she gripped the arm of the couch. He tried to be gentle, but it wasn't so easy to do. Once the dirt was gone he cleansed it with anti-bacterial spray and coated it with Neosporin-the best he could do under the circumstances- and wrapped it tightly with gauze and medical tape. All this he did while Relena watched, silent, shaking. When she was all set Duo looked up at her and smiled.

" I'll get you something dry to wear. Tomorrow you can take a shower when you get up, but I think you should sleep for now." He said, standing. He headed for his room, into the closet. There was a box he had up there with a few things of Hilde's that she had left behind. He always meant to send it to her, but kept forgetting, remembering at all of the worst times. It had been in storage for a few years, with some other things, and Duo hadn't remembered it until he had moved to the Sanque kingdom, taking his things out of storage. He had intended to throw it out, figuring she wouldn't care about a few odd and ends of clothing, but needless to say, he forgot. 

Duo brought down the box and rummaged through it, not stopping to glance at the framed picture of Hilde and him smiling for the camera at the local park, or a few other memories. He found what he was looking for. There was a small bundle of clothes she had left behind when they had shared an apartment back in the day. He grabbed all of it, plus a towel from the bathroom, and came back into the living room. To his surprise Relena was standing near the fireplace, a photo in her hand. He knew by the stained wooden frame which one it was. There had been a ball in Relena's honor for her birthday the same year the pilots had destroyed their gundams. The picture she was looking at was of all five pilots, even Heero, who had decided to show, as well as Relena, Hilde, Dorothy, Catherine, Sally, Noin, and Milliardo. All were smiling or grinning, except for a serious Heero, a glaring Wufei, and a silent Trowa.

" We were what, seventeen then maybe?" Relena said softly. It was saddening to think that they used to be so young, so happy.

" Yeah. Hard to believe, huh?" Duo went to her side as she set the picture back down and looked at the others. There was one of her, Hilde, and Duo. It looked like it was at the airport. Relena remembered now. Hilde and Duo were leaving again, after visiting for a few days, and Duo had stood grinning with an arm around each of them. Hilde was giving an exasperated smile, and Relena had been laughing. She'd forgotten what it felt like to laugh. Relena moved on to the next picture. It was very old, because Duo was just a little boy in it, and there was a smiling minister with his hands on Duo's shoulders as they posed for the picture. Relena didn't know much about Duo's past, but she could guess that that was Father Maxwell, the man who had taken care of Duo along with Sister Helen after Solo died, whom she guessed was the one taking the photo. She didn't know very much about duo's past, but she had hear bits and pieces. The last picture held all three, when Duo was slightly older. Sister Helen was beaming at the grinning 'braided baka'.

When Relena finished looking at the pictures she turned around to see that Duo had disappeared. She frowned, puzzled, then saw the pile of clothes he had brought sitting on the couch. She picked them up gingerly and waited for Duo to return. Her thought processes seemed to be non-functioning. She didn't want to go home, but she didn't want to die either. No, she didn't. She wanted so desperately to live, her near-death experience had decided that, but not in the way she used to. She wouldn't be able to bear it. 

" I just set up the bed for you. You can sleep in my room. I'll take the couch." Duo suddenly said, and Relena jumped as he walked back into the room carrying some sheets, clothes, and a blanket.

" I can't take your bed......." Relena began, feeling guilty.

" Nonsense, whose the suicidal one here?" Duo replied with a grin, dumping the stuff on the couch. 

This earned a small reluctant smile from Relena. " Now go change. Get some sleep." Relena nodded dimly and headed in the direction he pointed, finding a small room with a large bed and bureau in it for furniture. A lap top sat on top of the bureau, but other than that the room was mostly bare. She closed the door and changed, drying off with the towel. When she was set, she went back into the living room, carrying the wet stuff.

Duo was setting up the couch, and Relena quietly stopped just inside, a little surprised by what she saw. Duo wore a pair of draw-string pants, and that was all. He had no shirt on. She was a woman after all, and even under the circumstances it was hard to ignore how good he looked. His back was lean and muscular, and on the right side of his back, underneath his shoulder, was a tattoo of two crossing scythes, black and deadly with silver blades. She recovered quickly enough though, and then just realized what looked so different about him. 

" You cut your hair." Relena said, and Duo turned in surprise. He scratched his head and smiled, straightening.

" Yeah. I needed a change. I got tired of the braid." He replied, and then seeing the bundle in her hands moved to take it away from her, dumping it in a basket in the bathroom.

" It looks good." Relena told him after a moment, studying him critically. His brown hair was short, maybe only about two inches long and spiked up. The five years that she hadn't seen him in had changed him greatly. His cheeks weren't as round, in fact they were trim enough to see his high cheekbones now. The remaining baby fat had left him, changing him from a decidedly cute teenager to a handsome young man. He had one stud in his left ear, which gave him a sort of rakish look that went perfectly with his grin. 

" Thanks." Duo answered, returning to his work of fixing a bed on the couch. Relena didn't know it, but his turning his back on her was for the soul purpose of hiding the slight blush that came to his cheeks at her stare and compliment. " I'm going to call a doctor in the morning, have you checked out. I don't think you have a concussion, else you would have thrown up on me, something I'm thankful for, for many reasons." Duo told her, tossing the finishing touch to the make-shift bed, a pillow. He turned back to Relena, and saw that she was about to disagree.

" No arguments, young lady. You nearly died." He told her sternly, and she looked down at her feet. " Now, do you need anything? Are you hungry at all?" Relena shook her head. " Well then, off to bed with you." He said with a grin, pointing firmly. Relena nodded and turned to go to the bedroom. " And don't try anything suicidal." He added, only half-jokingly. She nodded again and opened the door to his room. She turned back to look at him, a questioning look on her face.

" Duo?" She asked, and he turned back to look at her.

" Wassup?" 

She rewarded him with a half smile. " Can I stay here a few days?"

He nodded. " Stay as long as you need to." _Forever._ The added word came to his mind before he could stop it.

" Thank you. For everything." Relena replied, her sorrowful blue eyes boring a hole into his heart. They stood there for a moment, the world quiet and still around them, understanding flowing between. 

" No problem, housan." Was his answer.

" Goodnight then."

" Good morning I should say."

" Well, good morning then." Relena smiled slightly and went in his room, closing the door quietly behind her. Duo sighed and jumped onto the couch.

* * *

The blanket on Duo's bed was warm and thick and soft. It was a deep cornflower blue, and Relena buried herself deep with in it in the bed. She breathed in deeply the scent of it, feeling a certain sense of peace fall over her soul. She was tired. So very tired. But she was also relieved. The deepest, darkest moment of her depression had passed, all because of a near-death experience. She'd heard before that some suicidal people, when they fail in their attempt to kill themselves, see life in a new light, and are so thankful that they were alive. She'd never thought that she'd experience it. But she had. And now she was so thankful that Duo had been there, that he had saved her. Because now she realized that she truly wanted to live. 

But she was still depressed. She was princess of the Sanque kingdom, a Vice Foreign Minister. She had a job to do. A very demanding one, one she couldn't handle. She had also been on the verge of suicide, and the shock of that to her made her feel incredibly guilty, incredibly selfish. Duo's face, his tears..... She didn't want anyone to cry over her. She thought of Milliardo, how he would react. How her friends, and country would. Duo had been right. She had been selfish to try something like that. But that had been the only time in her life she had thought of herself, and that scared her. What had gone wrong? Tears filled her eyes. She had become so busy, never having any free time. Her best friends, Hilde, Dorothy, Catherine....She had lost touch with them. Wufei, Trowa, Quatre, Duo, Heero........Heero. She hadn't seen him longer than anyone. The others she'd talked to, visited, seen a few times, but Heero had disappeared again. She'd been surprised he'd even showed up to her party. She'd been so sure that she loved him, so _sure._ But the feeling had been false. She was just a girl, an innocent, naive little girl. Heero had been handsome, dangerous, and deadly. That of course had immediately attracted her. She still cared for him, but not in the way she thought she did. But what had surprised her, five years ago, was that when she discovered that she wasn't in love with Heero, the ache in her heart was still there, an unmistakable feeling, finally unmasked from the cloud of fog that had covered it. She had managed to ignore it, but was at a loss for what, or who, she longed for. 

No friends, no fun, just work work work. She had cracked. And now she wanted more than anything to live again, to start with a clean slate. But she had to go back. Her brother would miss her, her friends. She had a job to do. _She didn't want to go back. _She wanted to stay here, wrapped in Duo's blanket for a while and then go some place far away, where nobody knew her. Someplace she could buy a small house and do whatever she wanted, even if that meant lying around all day, ignoring the ache. She would stay at Duo's for a while and figure out what to do. Deep down in her heart she knew she would have to return. Her tears flowed freely, soaking the pillow, until exhaustion overtook her and she fell asleep.

* * *

__

She was floating. The feeling made her feel weak and wispy as she looked down at her body. Duo was bent over her still figure, tears streaming down his face, giving her CPR. Relena fought as best as she could to get back down, determined to make him stop crying, but she only moved further away." I swear if you die Relena, you won't be the only one!" He cried, and suddenly Relena felt a tug, and felt herself being sucked back down. She knew she was back in her body when she couldn't see anything anymore, but could hear very dimly the sound of waves crashing. And then she could breathe. Her lips tingled from the pressure Duo had applied as she coughed up water, breathing heavily in and out, gasping for air. She heard Duo laugh, felt her hair being pushed back, and moaned. Then she ws being pulled into his arms. "Come on Relena! Wake up! Open your eyes!" 

" Duo?" She mumbled, as she struggled to move, letting water dribble out f her mouth. She felt him kiss her forehead, sending a flutter through her heart. She opened her eyes, then began to cry.

* * *

Author's Note: I got the tattoo idea from somebody else's fic and thought it was cool, so I decided to use it, I hope they don't mind. I would have asked, but I don't remember who it was or what story either, so when you read this and see the description, and realize you did this too, before me, just email me or review this and tell me who you are so I can give you credit. But if the tattoo thing is used often, I wouldn't really know, I've only seen it once, then I guess it's fair game. If it's not, tell me, don't get mad! Thanks!

P.S: Hey all! I have six other stories besides this, one of which is an original, which I would really appreciate it if people would read it for me and tell me what you think about it. I have high hopes of becoming an author. Thanks! hugs all readers 


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